Baby Ruby couldn’t wait to be born

04 April 2012

Health Care

Mum-to be Christabelle Guichard had her week planned out with a visit to her midwife, and then a scan before her baby was due to be induced. But nine days before her due date, tiny Ruby decided she could wait no longer.

When the pains began to intensify, Christabelle, 21, called a
taxi to go toSouthendUniversityHospital. But on the journey there
the baby's head started to appear. Once in the hospital corridor,
Ruby was born. Luckily Christabelle's partner's mother, Ruth
McNelly, a healthcare assistant in the outpatients department, was
there to help out. Staff immediately arrived with screens and took
mum and baby, still attached, up to the post-delivery ward.

Ruth said: "Christabelle was so pale I was afraid she would pass
out, so I forced her to the floor and caught the baby. When it
happened, there was no-one at all around so I screamed and staff
appeared from nowhere to help. They were all marvellous."

Christabelle, of Fraser Close, Shoebury, said: "I was in labour
for hours with my son Riley so I certainly did not expect Ruby to
be born quite as quickly as that!"